Mechanical lever-driver for pressure pump

ABSTRACT

Examples of a lever-driven pumping system are described. The lever-driven pumping system can comprise a motor that is configured to provide an input energy to drive a crank shaft, a positive displacement pump with at least one piston and a pump chamber arranged in a pump housing, and a lever driver with at least one lever that has a load end in communication to the crank shaft and a force end in communication with the at least one piston. A fulcrum point of the lever is formed at a predefined distance from the load end and the force end so that a distance from the fulcrum to the load end is greater than a distance from the fulcrum to the force end. A load connector is configured to connect the load end of the at least one lever to the crank shaft while a force connector is configured to connect the force end of the at least one lever to the piston rod. An output energy provided at the force end of the at least one lever and thus the output energy of the pumping system is amplified by the at least one lever and is greater than the input energy provided by the motor at the load end of the at least one lever.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a drive mechanism for a pressure pump, and more particularly to a mechanical lever-driver for a positive displacement pressure pumps.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Positive displacement pumps come in many designs and operating ranges and work on a principle that a volume is opened for suction and is filled, closed, and moved to discharge. The flow is created by enclosing a predefined volume at suction point and moving such volume to release it. Pressure is a result of the flow and flow restriction. For example, if there is no restriction at the discharge end, the flow would exit the pump at atmospheric pressure.

Pressure in the positive displacement pumps is a function of the driver's horsepower. The driver is usually a motor that can be an electric, internal combustion (e.g. gas or diesel motor), pneumatic or hydraulic. In order for the pump to pump the fluid at the discharge end the motor needs to provide enough force to push the fluid through the flow restriction. For example, a conventional pressure pump may require a motor power of about 25 kW (approximately 33 horsepower) to provide a pressure of about 8000 psi (pounds per square inch). In order to get higher pressures the pump driver needs to provide more power and such pumps are very expensive and inefficient.

Therefore there is a need for a pressure pump that would be more efficient so that it can provide high pressures with a lower input power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect a lever-driven pumping system is provided. The system comprises a motor that is configured to drive a motor crank, a positive displacement pump with at least one piston and a pump chamber, and a lever-driver with at least one lever therein to drive the at least one piston. The at least one lever has a load end in communication to the crank, a force end in communication with the piston and a body extending between the load end and the force end. A fulcrum point is formed at a predefined distance from the load end and the force end of the lever so that a distance from the fulcrum to the load end is greater than a distance from the fulcrum to the force end. The lever is configured to oscillate up and down on the fulcrum point. The lever-driver includes a load connector to connect the load end of the at least one lever to the crank and a force connector to connect the force end of the at least one lever to the piston. The motor provides an input energy to the crank and the lever oscillates up and down with the rotation of the crank wherein the output energy provided by the at least one lever at the force end of the lever is greater from the input energy provided by the motor via the crank at the load end of the at least one lever.

In another aspect the lever driver further comprises a pivot block so that the at least one lever is pivotally connected to the pivot block at the fulcrum point.

In yet another aspect the crank comprises a crank shaft and at least one crank plate connected to the crank shaft. The load connector of the at least one lever is eccentrically connected to the crank plate. The load connector comprises an elongated arm with a lobe end formed at one end of the elongated arm and a hinge at the opposite end. The lobe end of the elongated rod is connected to the crank plate while the hinge is connected to the load end of the lever.

In one aspect the lever-driven pumping system is powered by a battery.

In addition to the aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and study of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Throughout the drawings, reference numbers may be re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided to illustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a pressure pump showing a pump with mechanical lever-driver mount within a driver's housing and a motor in communication with the lever-driver.

FIG. 2 is perspective view of the pump of FIG. 1 with the driver's housing omitted showing the lever connected to a piston rod at one end and with a crank on the opposite end.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a lever used in a lever-driver.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an example of a housing of a lever-driver.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional top view of an example of a housing of FIG. 4 shoving a crank assembly, a pivot block for holding the levers and a pump housing with piston rods protruding out of a pump housing.

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of an arm with a lobe end for connecting a lever to a crank shaft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a mechanical advantage drive mechanism that can provide a more efficient pressure pump with a significantly lower input energy to obtain higher output energy. It comprises a leverage and mechanical advantage drive system that can be added to a conventional positive displacement pressure pump. By offsetting the input motor through the use of a lever and a fulcrum a mechanical advantage is gained thereby lowering the necessary input energy to reciprocate the pump's pistons/plungers while generating the same or higher pressures and volumes as in the conventional pumps.

FIG. 1 illustrates such mechanical pump system 10 with a motor 12 and a pressure pump 14. The motor 12 can be an electric motor, an internal combustion motor or any other suitable motor. For example, the motor 12 can be a 2 horsepower electric motor. The motor 12 can be positioned in a housing and is electrically isolated from the other components of the system 10. In one implementation the motor 12 can be operated by battery, such as for example 120 V batteries. Power generated by the motor 12 can be transferred using a belt 13 to a crank 16 so that the crank 16 rotates at a certain speed defined by the motor's parameters. Alternatively, the belt 13 can be omitted and the motor 12 can rotate the crank 16 using any other known gear or direct drive mechanism without departing from the scope of the invention. The pump 14 can be any known conventional positive displacement pump with a housing that comprises one or more pump's chambers. For example, the pump 14 can be a conventional positive displacement triplex pump. The pump 14 can comprise one or more chambers that communicate with a suction line via an inlet valve and with a discharge (pressure) line via an outlet valve. Since the positive displacement pumps cannot operate against a closed discharged valve (flow created by the pump will cause the pressure in the pump to rapidly build up), a relief valve needs to be provided to circulate the fluid back to the suction line when the outlet (discharge) valve is closed. The pump 14 can further comprise one or more pistons/plungers that can oscillate back and forth within the pump's chamber to displace the fluid out through the discharge line. In the illustrated example the pump 14 comprises three chambers with three pistons oscillating within respective chambers. Person skilled in the art would understand that the pump 14 can comprise less or more than three pistons without departing from the scope of the invention. Each of the pistons has a rod 15 that protrudes out of the pump's housing. FIG. 2 shows three piston rods 15 that protrude out of the pump 14. The pump 14 can further comprise one or more fluid tight seals to prevent any unwanted fluid leakage within or out of the pump 14.

The system 10 further comprises a lever driver 17 mounted between the pump 14 and the motor 12. The lever driver 17 comprises a housing 18, at least one lever 19 and means for connecting one end of the at least one lever 19 to the respective piston's rod 15 and the opposite end of the at least one lever 19 to the crank 16 or any other suitable structure configured to provide an input energy from the motor 12 to the lever 19. The number of levers 19 in the lever driver 17 is defined by the number of pistons in the pump 14. In case of a triplex pump (three pistons' pump), three levers 19 are provided. In the illustrated example, the lever driver 17 is positioned in the fluid tight housing 18 that is connected to the pump 14 so that the piston rods 15 can be connected to the respective levers 19. The housing 18 can comprise one or more seals to prevent any fluid leakage in or out of the housing 18. Alternatively, the housing 18 of the lever driver 17 can be omitted and the lever driver 17 can be mounted within the pump's housing and can make an integral part of the pump 14.

The lever 19 has a force end 19 a (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and a load end 19 b. The force end 19 a is connected to the piston's rod 15 by a force connector 20 (see FIG. 2). The load end 19 b of the lever 19 is connected to the crank 16 by a load connector 22. So the input energy generated by the motor 12 in applied on the load end 19 b of the lever 19 while the force end 19 a applies the output energy to the pistons of the pump 14. The force connector 20 can comprise a connecting rod 21 having a first end 21 a with a joint 26 for connecting to the piston rod 15 and a second end 21 b with a hinge 27 for connecting to the force end 19 a of the lever 19. In one implementation the connecting rod 21 can be omitted and the lever 19 can be connected to the piston rod 15 directly using any suitable connecting means, e.g. a ball or a pin, so that the lever 19 can apply force to the rod 15 to reciprocatively drive the respective piston during the pumping operation. The load connector 22 can comprise an elongated arm 23 with a lobe end 24 (see FIG. 5B) formed at one end of the arm 23 to connect it to the crank 16, and a hinge 28 at the opposite end to connect the arm 23 to the load end 19 b of the lever 19. Person skilled in the art would understand that any other suitable connecting means can be used to connect the force end 19 a of the lever 19 to the piston rod 15 and the load end 19 b to the crank 16 without departing from the scope of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows in details the lever 19 with the force end 19 a, the load end 19 b and an elongated body 19 c extending between the ends 19 a and 19 b. The lever 19 can be made of a stainless steel or any other material suitable to withstand the force applied to the lever 19 and the environmental conditions within the system 10. The lever comprises a fulcrum (pivot) 25 so that it can actually act as a movable bar that pivots on the fulcrum 25. So, the lever 19 operates by applying forces at different distances from the fulcrum 25. According to the law of the lever, if a distance from the fulcrum to where the input force is applied (load end 19 b) is greater than the distance from the fulcrum to the output force point (force end 19 a), then the lever amplifies the input force. On the other hand, if the distance from the fulcrum to the input force is less than the distance from the fulcrum to the output force, then the lever reduces the input force. Accordingly, if the distance (a) from the load end 19 b to the fulcrum 25 is greater than the distance (b) from the force end 19 a to the fulcrum 25, then the lever 19 will amplify the input force (energy). So, by using the lever 19, the system 10 can use less powerful motor 12 that will provide lower input energy to reciprocate the pumps' piston, but at the same time will generate higher output energy (high volume and pressures). Mechanical advantage of the system 10 is given by the ratio of the output force F_(B) to the input force F_(A) or the ratio of the distances a/b

${MA} = {\frac{F_{B}}{F_{A}} = {\frac{a}{b}.}}$

Force F_(A) applied to point A is the input energy and the force F_(B) at point B is the output energy amplified by the lever 19. Point A is actually defined as a connecting point between the lever 19 and the crank 16 or point at which the motor 12 applies the input force to the lever 19 via the crank 16. Point B is a connecting point between the lever 19 and the piston's rod 15. The lever 19 can comprise a bushing/bearing 27 a (at point B) to support the hinge 27 of the connecting rod 21 and a bushing/bearing 28 a (at point A) to support the hinge 28 of the arm 23. So the mechanical advantage of the system 10 can be optimized by optimizing the size of the lever 19 and more particularly the position of the fulcrum 25 with respect to the load end 19 b (the load point A), and the force end 19 a (force point B).

The crank 16 and the load connector 22 facilitate the necessary travel of the lever 19 to drive the pump's pistons. In one implementation the crank 16 can be positioned within the lever-driver housing 18. FIG. 4 shows an example of the lever-driver housing 18 accommodating the crank 16. The crank 16 can comprise an elongated shaft 46 having a first end (input end) 46 a and a second end 46 b (see FIG. 5A) and a body extending between the ends 46 a and 46 b. The first (input) end 46 a can protrude out of the housing 18 and is in communication with the motor 12 so that the motor 12 can provide an input energy to the crank 16 thus rotating the crank shaft 46. An end plate 48 is secured to an outside wall of the housing 18 to hold the crank 16 within the housing 18. Another end plate 48 can be provided at the second end 46 b that can be secured to the inner wall of the housing 18. A bearing and a seal 47 can be provided to hold the crank 16 and prevent any leakage out of the housing 18. The housing 18 can be filled with oil to provide sufficient lubrication for the crank 16 during operation of the system 10. The housing 18 can further comprise a pivot block 40 on which the lever 19 is mounted and connected at the fulcrum 25. The pivot block 40 can be made of a solid stainless steel or any other suitable material and can comprise at least one lever seat 42 and at least one fulcrum bushing 44. The lever 19 can be positioned in the lever seat 42 so that the fulcrum 25 of the lever 19 is aligned with the bushings 44, so that the lever 19 can be secured to the pivot block 40 at the fulcrum point 25. A pivoting shaft (not shown) is inserted through the bushings 44 and the fulcrum 25 of the lever 19 so that the lever 19 can pivot on the fulcrum 25 and its ends 19 a and 19 b can travel up and down of the fulcrum 25. In the illustrated example, the pivot block comprises three lever seats 42 for accommodating three levers 19 for the three pistons of the triplex pump 14, however person skilled in the art would understand that fewer or more than three seats 42 can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. FIG. 5A shows a top view of the lever-driver housing 18 with the crank 16, the lever driver 17 with three levers 19 and the three piston rods 15 protruding out of the pump 14. The crank 16 can further comprise one or more separating plates 45 connected to the crank shaft 46 to hold the lobe end 24 (see FIG. 5B) of the load connector 22. Each of the separating plates 45 comprises a number of bushings and pins or any other connecting means (not shown) mounted eccentrically on the plate 45 to hold the lobe end 24 of the connecting arm 23 attached to the plate 45. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, each of the lobe ends 24 are at pre-defined radial distance them the axis of rotation 50 and at different eccentrical position/direction on the plate 45, so that when the motor 12 rotates the crank shaft 46 each of the lobes 24 of the load connector 22 are at different position/direction and distance from the axis of rotation 50. Thus when the crank shaft 46 rotates driven by the motor 12 the load end 19 b of each of the levers 19 can travel independently one from the other between their respective upper and lower positions with respect to the fulcrum 25. So, when a load end 19 b of one lever 19 is in its upper position the load end 19 b of another lever 19 can be in its lower position and vice versa.

FIG. 5B shows details of an example of the load connector 22 with the arm 23 and the lobe end 24 at one end and a base 52 with two side bars 54 formed at the opposite end. An opening 56 is formed at each of the side bars 54 to receive the hinge 28 to connect the arm 23 to the load end 19 b of the lever 19. The bushing/bearing 28 a of the lever 19 is aligned with the openings 56 to connect the lever 19 to the load connector 22. The lobe end 24 is secured to the separating plate 45 of the crank 16 so that each of the lobe ends 24 is separated from the neighboring lobe 24 by the plate 45. This is for illustration purposes only and the load connector 22 can have different design as long as it connects the load end 19 b of the lever 19 to the crank 16.

In operation, the motor 12 provides an input energy so that the crank shaft 46 of the crank 16 can rotate. As the crank shaft 46 rotates so thus the separating plates 45 and the load connector 22 connected thereon transition up and down during one circular movement of the shaft 46. So the position of the load end 19 b and the force end 19 a of the lever 19 will oscillate between their upper to lower positions in relation to the fulcrum 25 during the rotation of the crank shaft 46. When the load end 19 b travels from its lower (downward) position toward its upper position the force end 19 a travels in opposite direction (from its upper position toward its lower position) and actuates the pump's piston pushing it downward and forcing the volume trapped within the pump's chamber through the discharge line and flow restriction. As the load end 19 b travels from its upper position toward its lower position the force end 19 a goes toward its upper position opening the pump chamber to the suction line to fill up the chamber with a fluid. Since the distance from the hinge 28 (load point A) to the fulcrum 25 is bigger than the distance between the hinge 27 (force point B) and the fulcrum 25, the input energy that is applied by the motor 12 is multiplied (in accordance with the law of the lever explained herein above) and the lever 19 driving the pump 14 can apply higher power/torque to the fluid and thus higher pressures can be provided. The volume of the pump can be defined by the size of the pump's chamber and the distance the piston can travel which can also be control by the length of the lever 19 and the distance “b” at the force end 19 a.

The pumping system 10 can further comprise a control system with a pressure sensor (not shown) that is in communication with the pump's chamber, so that when the outlet valve in the pump 14 is closed the pressure sensor can send a signal to the control system to open the relief valve. The pressure sensor can be any known fast or ultra-fast pressure sensors capable to track pressure change in the pump's chamber. The relief valve can be a solenoid valve or a piezo valve with a driver that is in electrical communication with the control system.

Example of the pumping systems can be used to provide the same effect with less input energy (smaller motors) as the inefficient conventional pressure pumps that are driven with powerful electrical of internal combustions motors. Furthermore, the system 10 can be battery operated/driven so it can be used at places where there is no access to huge electrical supplies or enclosed spaces where combustion engines cannot be used. For example, the system 10 can operate using a 120 V, 15 A battery circuit.

While particular elements, embodiments and applications of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will be understood, that the scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto, since modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. Thus, for example, in any method or process disclosed herein, the acts or operations making up the method/process may be performed in any suitable sequence and are not necessarily limited to any particular disclosed sequence. Elements and components can be configured or arranged differently, combined, and/or eliminated in various embodiments. The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. Reference throughout this disclosure to “some embodiments,” “an embodiment,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, step, process, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in some embodiments,” “in an embodiment,” or the like, throughout this disclosure are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment and may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, additions, substitutions, equivalents, rearrangements, and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions described herein.

Various aspects and advantages of the embodiments have been described where appropriate. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such aspects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, it should be recognized that the various embodiments may be carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other aspects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without operator input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. No single feature or group of features is required for or indispensable to any particular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.

The example calculations, simulations, results, graphs, values, and parameters of the embodiments described herein are intended to illustrate and not to limit the disclosed embodiments. Other embodiments can be configured and/or operated differently than the illustrative examples described herein. 

1. A lever-driven pumping system, the system comprising: a motor configured to provide in input energy to the pumping system; a positive displacement pump comprising a housing with at least one piston and at least one chamber, the at least one piston being configured to reciprocally oscillate within the at least one chamber, each piston having a piston rod connected to a piston body and projecting away from the piston body; and a lever driver, the lever driver comprising: at least one lever having a load end in communication to the motor, the input energy of the motor being applied to the load end of the at least one lever; a force end in communication with the piston rod; a body extending between the load end and the force end; and a fulcrum point formed at a predefined distance from the load end and the force end so that the at least one lever oscillates up and down on the fulcrum point, wherein a distance from the fulcrum to the load end is greater than a distance from the fulcrum to the force end; a load connector to bring the load end of the at least one lever in communication with the motor such that the input energy generated by the motor is applied to the load end of the at least one lever; and a force connector to connect the force end of the at least one lever to the piston rod such that an output energy provided by the at least one lever is applied to the piston, wherein the output energy at the force end of the at least one lever is greater from the input energy applied at the load end of the at least one lever.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the lever driver comprises a pivot block, the at least one lever being pivotally connected to the pivot block at the fulcrum point.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a crank having a crank shaft, the crank shaft being in communication with the motor, the motor rotating the crank shaft.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the crank further comprising at least one plate connected to the crank shaft, the at least one plate having a connector mounted eccentrically on the plate, the load connector of the at least one lever being connected to the crank plate at such eccentrically positioned connector.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the load connector comprises an elongated arm with a lobe end formed at one end of the elongated arm and a hinge on its opposite end, the lobe end being connected to the crank plate while the hinge being connected to the load end of the lever.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the lever driver is mounted in the pump housing.
 7. The system of claim 3, wherein the crank is mounted in the pump housing.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the lever driver is mounted in the pump housing.
 9. The system of claim 3, wherein the lever driver further comprises a housing to accommodate the lever driver and the crank, the housing being adjacent to the pump housing.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the motor is powered by a battery. 